The Eleventh Conference of the Parties to
the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of
Wild Fauna and Flora:
10–20 April 2000

The eleventh Conference of the Parties (COP-11) to the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of
Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) begins today at UNEP Headquarters
in Nairobi, Kenya, and will continue through Thursday, 20
April 2000. COP-11 will consider 61 agenda items including: a
strategic plan for the Convention through 2005; 62 proposals
to amend Appendices I and II species; and various trade
control and conservation issues concerning specific species.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CITES

During the 1960s, countries became increasingly aware that
over-exploitation of wildlife through international trade was
contributing to the rapid decline of many species of plants
and animals around the globe. In 1963, the World Conservation
Union (IUCN) began drafting an international convention to
regulate the export, transit and import of rare or threatened
wildlife species. The international commitment for a
convention was established in June 1972 at the UN Conference
on the Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden, which
recommended the immediate preparation of an international
convention to deal with these issues. The same year, IUCN, the
United States and Kenya produced a unified working paper,
which became the basis for convention negotiations. The final
negotiations were held from 12 February to 2 March 1973 in
Washington, DC. Issues that proved difficult to resolve
included: defining "species" for the purpose of the
convention; applying the convention to endangered species
taken from the marine environment not included in a State’s
territory; and determining the scope of the appendices that
formed the basis of the convention. CITES was adopted 2 March
1973 and entered into force on 1 July 1975. There are
currently 151 Parties to the Convention.

CITES conservation goals are to: monitor and stop
commercial international trade in endangered species; maintain
those species’ under international commercial exploitation
in an ecological balance; and assist countries towards a
sustainable use through international trade. The mechanisms by
which CITES Parties regulate wildlife trade is through
controls and regulations on species listed in three
Appendices. Appendix I lists species endangered due to
international trade. Exchange of them is permitted only in
exceptional circumstances. Appendix II species require
strictly regulated trade based on quotas and/or permits to
prevent their unsustainable use; and controls aimed at
maintaining ecosystems and preventing species from becoming
eligible for Appendix I. Appendix III species are subject to
regulation by a Party who requires the cooperation of other
Parties to control their international trade. To list a
species, a Party provides a proposal for COP approval
containing scientific and biological data on population and
trade trends. The proposal must be supported by a two-thirds
majority of Parties present and voting at a COP, not including
abstentions. CITES only lists species whose populations are
obviously impacted by trade. At present, there are 890 species
of flora and fauna species in Appendix I; 29,111 in Appendix
II, and 241 in Appendix III. Flora species outnumber fauna by
approximately seven to one. As the trade impact on a species
increases or decreases, the COP decides whether or not the
species should be shifted between or removed from Appendices.

CITES regulates international trade through a system of
permits and certificates that are required before specimens
enter or leave a country. Each Party must adopt national
legislation to provide official designation of a Management
Authority responsible for issuing these permits and
certificates based on the advice of a designated Scientific
Authority. Parties maintain trade records which are forwarded
to the CITES Secretariat annually, the sum of which enable it
to compile statistical information on the world volume of
trade in Appendix species. These two designated national
authorities also assist with CITES enforcement through
cooperation with customs, police, or appropriate agencies.

The operational bodies of CITES include the COP and its
Standing Committee, as well as several scientific advisory
committees - the Animals Committee, the Plants Committee, the
Nomenclature Committee and the Identification Manual
Committee. Located in Geneva, the CITES Secretariat interprets
Convention provisions, and services the CITES Parties and
Committees. To date, the COP has met ten times.

COP-10: The tenth session of the COP (COP-10) convened
in Harare, Zimbabwe, from 9-20 June 1997. COP-10 considered
trade controls on more than 100 species, moving nine species
from Appendix II to Appendix I, and dropping 18 species from
Appendix I to Appendix II. COP-10 adopted a resolution on
traditional medicine, recognizing it as an issue in its own
right and recommending elimination of illegal use of
endangered species in medicine. Resolutions on a new
definition of "bred in captivity," the sale of
products derived from Appendix I species at international
airports, and revision of the process for the transport of
live animals were also adopted.

The long-standing debate on the conservation and trade of
the African Elephant continued at COP-10. The three proponents
of trade in African Elephant ivory, Zimbabwe, Namibia and
Botswana, submitted individual proposals to move their
populations from Appendix I to Appendix II. Each proposal
included precautionary measures such as limiting ivory sales
to Japan, marking all tusks in accordance with CITES
regulations, and restricting trade only to registered raw
tusks of a certifiable national origin and natural mortality.
A compromise vote allowed Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana to
transfer their populations from Appendix I to Appendix II and
permitted the sale of an "experimental quota," with
the proceeds going to African Elephant conservation efforts.
COP-10 adopted a consensus resolution calling for the
establishment of a comprehensive, international monitoring
system, to assess African Elephant poaching trends.

On the conservation and trade of whales, COP-10 considered
five proposals from Japan and Norway to move different stocks
of the Grey and Minke Whale species from Appendix I to
Appendix II. Parties discussed at length the relationship
between CITES and the International Whaling Commission (IWC).
Many delegates proposed waiting for IWC’s expected new
management scheme before adopting the proposals, while others
urged that CITES should use its own criteria for listing whale
species. None of the proposals reached the required two-thirds
majority in order to transfer the whale species from Appendix
I to Appendix II.

INTERSESSIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

MEETINGS OF THE CITES STANDING COMMITTEE: The Standing
Committee (SC) met five times during the interesessional
period. Its 39th session was held subsequent to COP-10 in
Harare, Zimbabwe. At its 40th session in London, UK, March
1998, the SC accepted the audit of declared government ivory
stocks and endorsed ongoing work by TRAFFIC (the wildlife
trade monitoring programme of IUCN and World Wide Fund for
Nature) and IUCN to develop their respective Elephant Trade
Information System (ETIS) and Monitoring of Illegal Killing of
Elephants (MIKE) system. The SC also agreed on the need for
technical missions to assist in the development of strategies
to improve control of the tiger trade. During its 41st session
convened in Geneva, Switzerland, February 1999, the SC
approved the first legal, international commercial sale of
ivory. At its 42nd meeting held in Lisbon, Portugal,
September/October 1999, the SC noted a Secretariat report
verifying compliance with the precautionary undertakings
necessary in relation to the one-off sale and shipment of
ivory to Japan. It also approved reports of technical missions
on tigers in, inter alia, India, China, Japan, Cambodia
and Indonesia, and agreed that high-level missions should be
undertaken in China, India and Japan. The SC held its 43rd
meeting in Nairobi, two days prior to COP-11. The SC
unanimously agreed on the revised Rules of Procedure,
detailing a mediation procedure to resolve complaints by
countries, as well as on nominations for officers at COP-11.

NINTH MEETING OF THE PLANTS COMMITTEE: The Plants
Committee convened in Darwin, Australia, from 7-11 June 1999
to consider proposals to be forwarded to COP-11 including,
inter alia, harmonizing annotations to plant species
traded for medicinal use, the possible exemption of rainsticks
from Appendix II, and Parties’ concerns on the trade of
Asian Ginseng. Progress reports on trade in medicinal plants
and Turkey’s bulb trade were reviewed. The Plants Committee
also approved a draft resolution on trade in wild-collected
plant specimens.

FIFTEENTH MEETING OF THE ANIMALS COMMITTEE: The Animal
Committee convened in Antananarivo, Madagascar, from 5-9 July
1999. The Animals Committee agreed on action points including,
inter alia, preparation of draft resolutions on sturgeon
markings, use of microchips for live animal marking and
consideration of crocodile trading to be discussed at COP-11.

OPENING OF THE MEETING

On the eve of COP-11, delegates met in an official opening
ceremony. Willem Wijnstekers, CITES Secretary-General, opened
the conference by noting that CITES has been one of the
international environmental conventions with the most direct
impact on species conservation. He added that there is a need
for applied synergy with other multilateral environmental
agreements (MEAs), particularly biodiversity-related MEAs, in
order to strengthen the Convention’s capacity and success.
He highlighted the importance of the proposed Strategic Vision
through 2005 as a means to ensure that no animal or plant
becomes subject to unsustainable exploitation because of
international trade. He further noted that the proposalï¿½s
detailed action plan will be an essential tool for determining
the future of CITES. He called for attention to all proposals
for amendments, not just the high profile discussions on
elephants, whales, sharks and sea turtles.

Robert Hepworth (United Kingdom), Chair of the CITES
Standing Committee, remarked that approximately 6 billion
human beings are dependent on wildlife for food, fuel,
medicine and their livelihoods, but refuted the perceived
conflict in meeting both human and wildlife needs. He
attributed CITES success to its practical concept of
regulating or prohibiting trade, its ability to evolve, and
the hard work of governments in implementing the agreement. He
called upon the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and
the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) to focus on capacity
building in developing countries, the sustainable use of
bushmeat, and the conservation of sea turtles.

Dr. Klaus Tï¿½pfer, Executive Director of UNEP, stressed
that CITES has evolved into the most significant wildlife
conservation tool. He called for comprehensive consideration
of all species proposed for amendments in Appendix I, and
urged the COP to focus on, inter alia: reduction of
illegal trade; enhanced public support and participation;
improved financial and administrative basis; conservation
through biodiversity; development processes; and protection of
property rights. He recalled that causes of biodiversity loss,
such as poverty and debt, are common knowledge and suggested
that a new form of solidarity be created to protect the global
commons. He identified efforts to assess CITES implementation,
including in the UNEP Outlook 2000 Report, and suggested
COP-11 consider recommendations adopted at the UNEP workshop
on enforcement and compliance held in Geneva in 1999. He
concluded by stating that yesterdayï¿½s problems cannot be
solved with yesterdayï¿½s thinking.

THINGS TO LOOK FOR TODAY

PLENARY:

Plenary will convene at
9:00 am to consider strategic and administrative matters on:
election of the Chairs and Vice-Chair of the Plenary; adoption
of the agenda and work programme; admission of observers;
establishment of the credentials committee; and to hear
various reports. Kenyaï¿½s President Moi will address plenary
at 10:00 am. Delegates will meet in regional groups during the
afternoon.

This issue of the Earth Negotiations Bulletin
ï¿½ <enb@iisd.org> is written and edited by Leanne Burney <leanne@iisd.org>,
Laura Ivers <laurai@iisd.org>, Violette Lacloche <violette@iisd.org>,
Wagaki Mwangi <wags@usa.net> and Mark Schulman <markschulman@hotmail.com>.
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